1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for purifying fluids, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for restoring gray water resulting from a cleaning activity such as commercial laundry or commercial car washing, in which the disinfecting properties of both ultraviolet radiation and ozone are combined in order to purify fluids.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been a number of attempts to integrate ozone into the process of recovering gray water for reuse in the cleaning cycle. Ozone is a naturally occurring oxygen compound designated as O.sub.3. Typically, ozone is generated when oxygen, O.sub.2, is exposed to ultraviolet light or an electrical charge which breaks it down to individual oxygen molecules. As it is well known, ozone is an unstable, powerfully bleaching, toxic (only at very elevated concentrations) oxidizing agent used to purify and deodorize air, to sterilize water, and as a bleach. Ozone is also used to control airborne organics, molds, fungus, bacteria, and viruses, by chemically reacting with them.
Prior art devices have provided an apparatus with a radiation chamber in which the disinfecting properties of both ultraviolet radiation and ozone are combined in order to sterilize fluids. Typically, the radiation chamber includes a source of ultraviolet radiation, and a housing having an outer casing spaced from a UV permeable inner casing. The inner casing of the housing is spaced around the source of ultraviolet radiation in such a manner as to form an intermediary channel, and a fluid is conveyed through the space between the casings. The ultraviolet radiation forms ozone in the gas, and has a sterilizing effect in the fluid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,571, issued Oct. 28, 1980 to Dadd, discloses a method and apparatus for the purification of water, in which an ultraviolet radiation source simultaneously produces ozone, irradiates the water, and irradiates the subsequent mixture of water and ozone. The light source in Dadd is disposed centrally of the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,962, issued Jul. 29, 1980 to Pincon, discloses a structure having circumferentially spaced electromagnetic radiation sources having a wave length less than 200 nanometers, which apparently does not produce ozone.
The foregoing inventions disclose an apparatus for purifying liquid, such as water, in which an ultraviolet light source irradiates air passing through a chamber. However, although various water purifiers are disclosed, none of them show an ozone creation chamber positioned in surrounding relationship about an effluent carrying tube.